Child of Darkness
by Jamie L. Vaughan
Summary: Erik discovers an orphan in the streets of Paris. He rescues the child from certain death. Will his demons of the past allow him to possibly become a surrogate father? Susan Kay and Movie based. Not what you may expect. Please R&R!
1. Prologue

**AN:** This is my first stab at Phantom fanfiction. The idea sprung to my head yesterday and I had to write it. Keep in mind that this Phantom universe is a mixture of Susan Kay and the movie/musical. I decided to make my Erik have the white half mask, however. Reviews would be wonderful and would give me an incentive to continue. Constructive Criticism is also welcome!

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**Prologue **

The streets of Paris were unseasonably cold that night. The rain from earlier in the day collected in the various crevices of the streets, puddles no matter where one stepped. A very light drizzle fell upon his cloak as he walked through the dingy back alleyways. He was driven to this darkness, trying to not catch attention from others in the light of street lamps. The cold dampness of the night reminded him of his home underneath the Paris Opera House. But the cool breeze was infinitely more enjoyable than the stillness of his caved home.

All the stage makeup in France couldn't ever completely conceal the horror of his deformity. So he made for himself a human-looking mask to conceal the rotted half of his face. With his cloak and hat, as well as the darkness of Paris' back alleys, he could wander virtually unnoticed. These constitutionals he occasionally took were as much for his enjoyment as for necessity. He needed more staff lined paper, fountain pens, and tools for a small project he had the desire to work on. He was to meet Jules at his home for the items he needed.

Jules had been Erik's "agent" in the outside world, for supplies he needed to live underneath the opera house. Food, clothing, and other various items were purchased by Jules, with the money Erik left him; funds which he received from the managers of his opera house. Jules would often have the items delivered to Erik, but this week he decided to get them from Jules himself. He hadn't been outside in quite sometime, he needed the exercise. In exchange for his services, Erik made sure that Jules' family was well taken care of, that they always had enough food, and that his children would receive a good education when they were older. If there was anything that he could thank his mother for before he ran away from home, it was that she tried to give him a good education.

Erik arrived at Jules' home, softly knocking on the door. The door slowly opened, allowing Erik passage inside.

"Monsieur..." Jules responded, with a bow of his head, as Erik entered. "I acquired all the items you asked for, Monsieur." He said closing the door.

"Very good." Erik answered, staring at the timid little man. Erik found it amusing that after all the years under his employment, Jules was still not comfortable around him. Though Jules' fear of him meant that Erik would never have to worry about Jules abusing his trust.

"I purchased your tools at the clock shoppe, and the clerk even offered to give me some gears and other mechanisms from pieces that were broken beyond repair at no extra cost." Jules continued, leading Erik into the next room where his purchases were laying, bundled in brown paper. Erik smiled slightly, Jules knew him well. Erik sat down at the table, making himself comfortable. Jules did the same, internally scolding himself for not offering him a seat.

"How is Madame Bernard and the rest of your family, Jules?" Erik asked cooly, crossing his legs.

"Oh! We, we are doing quite well Monsieur!" Jules exclaimed, shooting up from his chair. "Would you like a drink Monsieur?" Erik waved his hand and shook his head slightly.

"No, that won't be necessary. I don't plan to stay long." Jules slowly sunk back into his chair. "There has been an illness going around. You've been keeping the children well-clothed? It has been unusually cold lately."

"Oh yes Monsieur! The children are quite healthy, I assure you. Annette and I have been making them stay inside throughout most of the day."

"Very good." Erik said, standing up, Jules followed. "Well I shall take my leave of you now." He said, taking the brown package from the table. Jules quickly lead the way to the door, holding it open for Erik to exit.

"Before I leave!" Erik said, swiftly turning back to Jules. "Here is your payment for this week." He said, pulling a small bag from his pocket. "Be sure to use a bit of it for some sweets for your children." Erik smiled, turning and walking back out into the cold.

"I will, Monsieur, thank you." Jules shouted, before closing the door.

Erik made his way back to the opera house. The rain had become heavy again and the wind blew harder. Erik quickened his pace through the dark streets. He noticed a couple walking down an alley he was about to take. In order to not be noticed he opted to take the longer route back. _'No one should be around there.' _he thought to himself.

It was one of Paris' poorest neighborhoods. A stark contrast to the clean, upper class neighborhood where the Opera was located. The smell was ungodly and the rain made it no better. Trash and sludge from the sewers polluted the streets. Rats feasted on what little scraps were left on the streets. Erik passed one dilapidated house after another; some were nearly burned to the ground. _'There must have been a fire'_, he theorized. He was about to make the turn to towards the street which ran to the back of the opera house when he heard the small sound of despair. He paused and turned, it sounded like something in pain. He slowly walked down to the next street, the sounded becoming more recognizable with each step. It was the sound of crying.

Erik went towards the source of the sound. A small house, barely standing due to the recent fire. He entered, cautiously, hoping no one else was there. The rain from outside was just as strong inside the house, making the wood even more prone to the inevitable collapse. He looked through the darkness, trying to find what he was looking for. He heard the sound again, yet it was still faint. He looked against the corner of a wall, and saw something move. Walking over, he knelt next to the bundle. It was a child, probably less than two years old. He carefully lifted the child into his arms, putting his hand on it's chest. The child was barely alive.

Erik looked at the child. The child had nothing visibly wrong with it, though it was quite small. It was obvious that the house he found it in wasn't it's original home._ 'Someone must have abandoned you here.' _he thought, putting the child close to his chest to keep it warm.

He knew the feeling of abandonment, infanticide wasn't uncommon in Paris. It was something Erik's mother had no doubt tried to do to him when he was born, she ignored him enough when he was a toddler. He and the child had a similar fate, parents who cursed them to darkness, to death. He could have just as easily left the child to die, as was intended, but his conscience would not allow him to destroy such innocence. Erik knew he would have to hurry back if he were to save this orphan's life.


	2. Life Is Never Ours To Take

**AN:** Alrighty, here is the next chapter. Just so you guys know I'm probably only going to have time to update only once a week. At least until theater is over with, which will be by the end of February. After that I should get updates up faster. So don't worry if you don't see an update until next weekend, there will be one! :)

Like I said this is going to be based on primarily on Susan Kay and the musical/movie. Erik's lair is like Susan Kay's, but minus the coffin. He has a nice bed instead, because I always found it too "vampire-like" for Erik to have a coffin, when everything else he has is usually state of the art. So anyways here is chapter 1, I hope you enjoy it and please review!

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Chapter One**

The child's cry quieted the closer they got to Erik's lair. He did not know how long it had been outside in the cold, damp night. Hours? Minutes?

When they arrived, Erik threw the package from Jules on the floor, taking the toddler to his bedroom. His cat, Ayesha followed him curiously looking at the small bundle in his arms. Erik carefully placed the child on his bed, slowly removing the dirty, soaked blanket wrapped around it. The child was wearing a simple linen chemise, obviously the clothing of a poverty-stricken family. Erik removed the wet piece of clothing, seeing for the first time that the child was in fact a little girl. Ayesha had jumped on the bed to inspect what had so gotten Erik's attention.

"Ayesha!" Erik yelled at the creature when she started to hiss in disapproval at the girl. Ayesha, head hung low, slowly walked over to Erik, nuzzling against his arm.

Erik checked the child's pulse, noticing the very early stages of hypothermia already setting in. He put an ear to her small chest, listening as she breathed. _'At least it hasn't spread to her lungs.' _Erik thought to himself, bundling the girl up in his velvet blankets. Erik carefully placed a cold hand to her head, feeling evidence of a fever. He walked out of the room, in search of a warm compress and cool rag. He was going to have to fight off the possibility of hypothermia as well as a fever.

Erik swiftly returned with the compress and a bin of cool water. He wrapped the child in the compress and recovered her with the bed sheets, she was still unconscious with sleep. He placed the cool rag on her forehead; the girl emitted a small sound as she moved under the covers. Erik stood and watched her for a few moments. He hoped that his treatments were correct. Seeing that she had not stirred from her sleep, he left to prepare a medication to combat her illness, Ayesha following at his side.

The night all those years ago when Erik wandered with the gypsies flashed back into his mind as he worked. His herbal remedy saved the wise woman from death, while her fellow kin had left her for dead. He went on to cure half of the children from the same illness. Erik's fascination with medicine was more experimental than anything and fortunately for the gypsies, his curiosity proved to be successful. Unfortunately Erik was not a doctor in the conventional sense. He had no formal training with proper medical techniques or with proper antibiotics. He created remedies when he needed them. He copied formulas invented by the wise woman, and mixed them with his own concoctions to create new medicines.

It was very rare that Erik ever found himself ill. His body had built a natural immunity to common illnesses that plagued ordinary people from Paris. The only time he ever had the need to create new medicines was on those occasions when Jules or a member of his family found themselves sick. In exchange for Jules' trust and services, Erik how promised to care of his family, in sickness and in health. Now Erik hoped that he could use his miraculous talents for medicine to save the orphan.

Erik worked diligently on the medicine, Ayesha sleeping peacefully on a chair next to her master. His plan was to restore the child's health, then leave her anonymously at the orphanage. Erik knew he was not fit to raise a child. If the idea of living in a damp cellar of an opera house wasn't bad enough, then the fact of his deformity would be. To Erik, she was just another one of the nameless children who walked the streets of Paris everyday. There were many more in the orphanages just like her, he just happened to be at the wrong place at the right time.

Erik found it almost comical how he always seemed to be the hero in these types of situations. For years people had scorned and ridiculed him, forced him to perform like a trained animal, feared his face and his very presence. Yet if they were in need, it was suddenly 'The Corpse' they sought out. Whether it was financial, medical or some other similar problem they were faced with, then it seemed that they could easily tolerate assistance from the spawn of Satan himself.

Erik had learned from a very early age that he was not like everyone else. He knew that he was destined to never know love, even in it's simplest form. Any friendships that he had managed to obtain over the years would always end up being broken by a betrayal of trust or due to those who persecuted him. By now, Erik had become accustomed to his life of solitude. He only associated with others, those others being people whom he had "employed", and even then it was mostly for business matters.

Erik had taught himself to not hold on to any type of relationships he would come to encounter. For it seemed that no matter what, he would always be left alone, in even more pain than before. This child would be no exception to him. It was only due to the small percentage of pity for humanity left within him that he even bothered to rescue her at all. His childhood priest, Father Mansart, whom Erik was named after, had polluted him with this type of pity when he was performing a "routine" exorcism upon him.

_"Life is never ours to take, Erik. If you remember nothing else of what I have taught you, remember that."_

The worst part was that Erik did remember it; a harsh lesson to believe in, especially with the many injustices he was faced with throughout his life. Erik knew that if it wasn't for her faith, his mother would have killed him in an instant. The fear of eternal damnation instilled in her, no doubt by Father Mansart, had frightened her into submission. But Erik no longer feared eternal damnation, that blind faith was taken from him by God-fearing men who resorted to abusing him physically, verbally, and emotionally. Perhaps in an attempt to destroy a creature of darkness, evil is acceptable in the eyes of a forgiving Lord? Erik had used this power himself when he was amongst the gypsies, managing to make them fear even looking at him without some sort of respect. This same fear is what kept Jules and Erik's other associates submissive to his demands. Those who swayed would be punished, while those who obeyed would be rewarded. Yet unlike God, Erik never found himself killing indiscriminately, everything he did had a purpose, whether for himself or on a grander scale.

The orphan girl he saved was just one of many mercies he had been responsible for in his life. Not for the fact that Erik felt responsible for her, but that pure innocence intrigued him. Children, as well as all animals, weren't born with evil and hate on their souls. They were conditioned and taught, as Erik had been, of what is right and what is wrong, what is good and what is bad. Only when they are exposed to such environments will they mimic the types of abuse Erik had so long endured. When Erik performed with the gypsy faire, children would be the ones to show the largest array of emotions. Some, like their parents, would laugh and taunt him, some would hide their eyes in fear, while others had the look of pity on their faces. No doubt if the orphan was older, she would fear and banter him as well.

After about an hour, Erik finally finished his concoction, he only hoped that it would work. He walked back to his bedroom, the vile in hand. Ayesha jumped on the bed as Erik lifting the sleeping girl up, holding the vile to her lips and tilted her head back. Some ran down her cheeks, but the majority of it she drank with ease. He laid her back on the bed, removing the compress so she wouldn't overheat. Her body temperature had risen and her heart rate returned to normal, but she was still plagued with fever. He removed the rag and re-soaked it in the bin of water, placing it back on her forehead. Erik concluded that his remedy should start taking effect within a few hours, he would have to wait.

Erik walked back into the main chamber of his home, grabbing the package he had received from Jules. He went to the desk in his room, taking out the tools and gears from the package and placed them next to the hollowed out jewelry box that sat there. Knowing that sleep was going to be out of the question for the night, Erik thought it best to work more on his "project" while he waited to see if his medicine would have any effect within the next few hours.

Erik sat in the chair, examining the little screws, gears, and other items Jules had gotten him. Ayesha made her self comfortable by jumping into his lap, curling into a small ball and falling fast asleep. It was going to be a long night for all of them.


	3. So Good At Building Walls

**AN: **Sorry I didn't have this up last night, I was a bit busy with other things. I'm really trying to take this story very slow, for character development purposes. I have no idea how many chapters this will turn out to be, but I can assure you it will be a lot. :)  
Anyways I hope you enjoy this chaper and don't forget to review!

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**Chapter Two**

Erik placed the completed wooden box down on the table. Ayesha, who had since moved to the floor next to his feet, yawned, stood from her position on the floor and stretched. She hopped back up on to his lap, and nuzzled against his stomach. Picking her up in his arms he petted her softly. Sighing, he glanced over at the clock against the wall. He emitted a small, surprised groan.

Erik had become so engrossed in his work that he hadn't realized that it was already morning. He looked over to his bed, the girl was still sleeping. He stood, put Ayesha on the table, and walked over to the bed. He removed the nearly dry rag and placed the back of his hand on her forehead.

"You seem to be feeling better, _le petit_." Erik said, placing the rag on the night stand. He quickly walked out of the room and returned with another vial of his medicine. He sat down on the bed, picking the girl up into his arms. The girl awoke with the movement and stared up at him, a sense of wonderment. He smiled and held the vial up to her lips, she drank it, but clearly disliked the taste.

"I know, but you'll thank me soon enough." Erik smiled once more and laid the girl back down onto the bed. He knew that she probably couldn't understand him, but his voice had been known to comfort others. Ayesha had since come over to him and was rubbing against his leg, purring.

"Well my little lady, I assume you're hungry now." Erik grinned, picking her up from the floor. He was in a surprisingly decent mood, he just hoped that it would stay that way. "Let's go get you some food." Rising from the bed, Erik had almost forgotten about his little orphan until she started to whine. It was then that he realized what he had gotten himself into. He had taken on the responsibility of a small child, she couldn't go without eating, God knows how long it's been since she had a meal. Erik, unfortunately, had no idea what children eat, especially as young as she was. Erik knew he would have to expand his list of food items for Jules next week, but what to do until then?

Ayesha lived on a steady diet of milk and meat. Erik lived off of breads, cheeses, and fruits, but he could manage to go a few days without eating if need be. It had been so long since he had been around children, that he didn't know the appropriate age for eating solid foods. Erik figured that Ayesha's milk would have to do for the time being. He would have to make a visit to the Opera kitchen to find some other items. But what to do with the girl while he went above.

Suddenly an idea came to his mind and placing Ayesha on the floor, Erik walked over to his desk, retrieving the box. It was still unfinished, but it would have to do. He opened it up and turned on the mechanism. The gears moved slowly, a soft, melodic tune began to flow through the slots he had put along the sides of it. He placed it on the night stand and sat down next to her on the bed. The girl looked up at him, then at the box, then back at Erik.

"You must sleep now." He said gently, humming softly to the melody he had created.

Ayesha, feeling left out, walked over and hopped on Erik's lap. The girl's eyes opened wide in surprise at the cat. Ayesha walked over and smelled her, she began to growl. Erik quickly picked her up and held her in his arms, scratching her behind the ears. He continued his melodic singing and within no time at all, the girl had drifted back off to sleep. The music box continued to play as he slowly rose and walked out of the room. He put Ayesha on the floor and went to his wardrobe, grabbing his cloak. He walked into his music room, tossing it on the bench by his organ. Ayesha followed him, meowing incessantly for his attention.

"I know, my dear, you're hungry." Erik said, walking into his kitchen. He opened his makeshift ice box, pulling a bottle of milk out. He poured its contents into a dish and place it on the floor. Ayesha quickly ran over, lapping it up. Erik returned to the music room and sat down at his desk. He had not resorted to stealing for food since he had found Ayesha, and he didn't like the idea of doing it again. The kitchen almost always had workers in it, especially in the early morning, so to steal from there would be difficult.

Erik's mind suddenly went to the ballet mistress, Mme. Giry. She had been under his services for many years now, as his box keeper and agent to the various affairs of the Opera House. Every month she placed his wage of 20,000 francs, which he required of the managers, in his box. She was very reliable and one of the few people whom Erik even remotely trusted with his business. He had not asked her for a request in a while and figured that she was due. He lit a small flame and placed a crucible containing wax over it. Pulling out a piece of off-white stationary and opening an inkwell, Erik began to write her a note.

_My Dear Mme. Giry:__  
I hope you find yourself well. I send my condolences to you on the unfortunate death of your husband. Your services to me in thepast have been quite commendable, and I shall be requiring them once again.__I am in need of food. I need you to acquire milk, whey and fruits from the Opera's kitchen. Place the items next to the seat in my box by 10am today.__I shall also be requiring fabric. Gather a few yards from the costume department and place it, along with the food, in my box. I trust__ that you will complete this task exactly as I have outlined. _

_Sincerely,_  
_O.G._

He placed the letter in an envelope, wrote "_Madame Giry_" on the front and sealed it with his trademark red wax skull. Erik stood and put his cloak on around him. Ayesha had come into the room and sat, looking up at Erik as he adjusted his cape. Erik smiled at her upset face.

"Don't you worry my dear; I shall return soon." He looked at her, for a moment, contemplating. He decided that while he was gone it would be best if he made his room off-limits to her. He swiftly walked back to his room and seeing that the child was still asleep closed the door quietly. He went back to his music room and placed the letter in his tuxedo jacket.

He walked to the dock, climbed in his boat and pushed off into the lake. The lengthy ride to the shore outside his lair gave Erik time to think. He would wait until the girl was healthy enough, before he took her out of his care. Her health would almost be back to normal within a few days, he guessed, then he would take her to the Paris Orphanage for them to do with her as they wished. He would have done his part. Erik figured that he could have easily pretended that he hadn't seen her, or heard her cry, and just left her there to die. His conscience would be clear; he was already risking a lot for the girl getting food from Mme. Giry. He wasn't set to have another mouth to feed or take care of. Ayesha was enough, she was all he needed.

Erik reached the shore and made his way up through the cellars. He made no noise aside from his cloak. He made his way through the walls of the dormitories. Not a sound came through, nearly the entire Opera company was still sleeping. He made his way to Mme. Giry's personal room and clicked the mechanism on the wall. During his time at the Opera, Erik had installed numerous devices within the walls, mirrors and floors to allow him easy and unnoticeable access to almost any area of the Opera House.

A brick in the wall moved to the side when the mechanism was turned on. Madame Giry's desk was right next to the wall and the hole made by the moved brick was just large enough for Erik to stick his hand in. He removed the letter from his coat jacket and silently placed it on top of her other papers. He could hear her deep breathing within her room, she was still asleep. He clicked the switch again and the brick moved back into place. Checking his time piece he saw that it was nearing 8am, she would be waking up soon and the managers would be arriving at any moment. _Perhaps I should see what my managers are up to?_ He thought to himself, smiling mischievously.


End file.
